Until Death Do Us Part
by SamKrux2
Summary: When Roxton and Marguerite encounter a dangerous stranger, their relationship could take a turn for the worse.
1. Default Chapter

Until Death Do Us Part SamKrux2  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Marguerite Krux sighed happily. Reclining on the beach chair John Roxton had made for her, she giggled, and hated herself for it. The two of them weren't needed at the tree house for another three days, and they desperately needed time alone together.  
  
"Well, what do you think of going for a swim?" Roxton asked as he came up behind her.  
  
Marguerite smiled. "Mmm, sounds good to me."  
  
Roxton was surprised by her answer. Their relationship had taken a huge step since their time in the cave, but he never expected her to be so relaxed. He did like it, and intended to take full advantage of it.  
  
He took her hand and pulled her toward him. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer, breathing in the scent of her hair. She melted in his arms, as she always did.  
  
He stroked her back as he spoke, "I wonder..."  
  
Roxton's voice was cut off by a loud crash off to the side. They ran to see what had happened, guns ready. From behind the small alcove, a man who looked slightly younger than Roxton emerged.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Marguerite asked, her pistol pointed at him steadily.  
  
"My name is Calvin Branston, or if you wish, anybody you want me to be." He bowed in her direction and smiled when he rose.  
  
Immediately, Roxton did not like him. He never liked seeing other men look at her that way, especially after the two of them had just admitted their feelings. However, Marguerite didn't think the same way, but she was not flirting like she usually would.  
  
"My name is Marguerite Krux and this is Lord John Roxton. Now would you mind telling me what you were doing before I shoot you?"  
  
Hearing this statement, Roxton couldn't suppress a chuckle. Marguerite heard him and shot him a look. Not one of her usual annoyed looks, but a clever smile that said enough of what she thought of their new acquaintance.  
  
"I heard voices coming from this direction and came to investigate. My tribe, the Ronta, does not come to this region of the plateau, so I was alone. I came on a mining expedition many years ago, when I was very young. Beasts killed the rest of the group and the Ronta found me and accepted me. We are in alliance with the Vantu; they don't kill us as long as we give them prisoners. They had warned us of a groups from the outside world days ago and I left to find you." He explained "We asked what you were doing, not for your life story!" Roxton snarled.  
  
Marguerite pulled him away from Branston, "Excuse us." Once they were out of earshot, she spoke. "Roxton, he may know a way off the plateau, so behave! I don't want to ruin our chances of leaving. Again!" she added.  
  
Roxton sighed and looked at her thoughtfully. "I don't like the way he looks at you. He walks in on us and is hitting on you. IN FRONT OF ME!!! I don't like it!"  
  
Marguerite moved in a bit closer. "If it makes you feel any better, I would rather see him eaten by a raptor. I only have eyes for you." She purred in the way only she could. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nibbled on his ear. "Don't worry, if he keeps hitting on he I'll punch him or something. Besides, I can think of a few ways to get you back into a good mood. I'm sure you won't have any objections."  
  
Roxton smiled and held her close as she moved in to kiss him, but before she could, Branston cleared his throat loudly.  
  
"You might as well stay here with us for the night. Our camp is set up and everything is already taken care of. We aren't planning on going back to our home here on the plateau in a few days." Marguerite said flatly as she pulled away from Roxton. She was delighted to feel his arms stay around her waist.  
  
"Miss Krux, I thank you. A woman of your kindness and beauty should not go unrecognized." He slyly replied and kissed her hand.  
  
He didn't even see the fist in his face before he fell. He was on the ground, unconscious. Marguerite turned and kissed a startled Roxton's cheek. If the Lord knew anything at all, it was that Marguerite Krux was as good as her word.  
  
Branston woke at nightfall. Across from him, Marguerite was sleeping peacefully, unaware of his plans for her. He sighed, she was like no woman he had ever met, and he intended to make her feel the same way about him.  
  
"Ahem!"  
  
Branston turned to see Lord Roxton sitting by the small fire with his rifle. 'Keeping watch over Miss Krux.' He sat up and knew Roxton was still staring at him with a look of pure hatred.  
  
"What? What the hell is your problem?"  
  
"You," John growled. "I don't care who you say you are or where you came from. I'm not letting anything or anybody hurt her!"  
  
Branston was confused. "Her? Oh, her." He looked at marguerite and smiled. "I can see why you want to protect her. She is beautiful, but don't worry, old boy. She'll be perfectly safe with ..."  
  
Marguerite stirred and the men immediately focused their attention back to her. Roxton didn't like Branston. He was openly staring at her and he wouldn't allow him to ruin his chance with her. He walked over to Marguerite and whispered in her ear. She opened her eyes and smiled.  
  
Branston couldn't hear the conversation between the couple and he didn't care. 'Soon, my love, you won't care about Lord Roxton. Nothing will be in our way. I knew when I saw you in a dream you were perfect. He won't matter anymore; I'll save you. Soon, my love. Soon'  
  
End Chapter 1 please r/r 


	2. HELP!

Chapter 2  
  
Marguerite woke happily to Roxton's voice in her ear. After she opened her eyes, Roxton helped her up and kissed her forehead. Her smile faded when she saw Branston out the corner of her eye.  
  
"Calvin, I see you're awake, too." She said flatly.  
  
The three of them stayed awake until morning. Branston hated watching Marguerite and Roxton cuddled together, whispering and giggling. He knew that soon, he would hold her, not the hunter he despised.  
  
Roxton had made a small breakfast and didn't notice when Branston slipped something into one of the meals before he took it from him. They ate in silence, Branston smiling to himself the whole time. He was lost in a daydream, a recollection of a dream he had in which Marguerite was his to love. Roxton would soon be taken care of.  
  
Marguerite sat over by John, and whispered something in his ear. He laughed and pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. When they pulled away, Roxton started to shake uncontrollably, and fell back.  
  
"Roxton!" Marguerite cried. She saw the other man smile, and turned on him. "What did you do to him, you bastard? Tell me what you did!"  
  
Branston moved closer to her. "It's perfect. He won't hurt you anymore. We can be together now, my love."  
  
Marguerite was crying. "I don't need saving! What the hell makes you think I want you?"  
  
"My dream. I saw you and knew it was meant to be. My people believe dreams are openings to our souls. We see what we truly want."  
  
Branston pulled out a small container with a green liquid. "I'm sorry." He whispered before holding her so she was motionless and made her swallow the contents of the container.  
  
She managed to pull away, but the substance had been swallowed. She drew her pistol and shot him twice in the chest. Branston fell to the ground, dead. She ran to Roxton, who had stopped shaking, and cradled his head in her arms.  
  
"John, please. Don't leave me. Not now, not ever. I need you. I love you." She choked between sobs. "I love you." She said it over and over again.  
  
She pulled away for a moment to signal to the tree house, where Malone and Veronica were, to come. Within the hour, they showed up puzzled.  
  
"Marguerite? Roxton? Why did you...oh, my God, Roxton!" Veronica cried. "Marguerite, what happened? Malone, try to make a stretcher or something to carry him."  
  
While Malone did what he was told, Marguerite told Veronica about Branston, his dream, and what he had done.  
  
"Interesting."  
  
Marguerite turned her head. "What's interesting?"  
  
"Remember when you first came here? Only a month or two after, a man named Niko said the same thing. He wanted to fight Malone for me."  
  
"Maybe they are from the same tribe." Marguerite concluded. She could barely speak, and if she could, her tears made it impossible to understand her.  
  
"Veronica! Marguerite! Come over here!" Malone cried.  
  
The two women rushed to where he was standing. A body, drenched in blood, was lying in front of him. The body held a container with a green liquid.  
  
"That's the guy who did something to Roxton!"  
  
Veronica turned to the heiress confused. "That's Branston? He doesn't look much like he's from a tribe around here."  
  
"Look, I made a stretcher, but we are going to have to hurry. Raptors will smell the blood and come. Besides we need to get Roxton to the tree house right away!" Malone interrupted Marguerite's next statement.  
  
The three headed back to the tree house, Roxton in tow. Although they wanted to stay optimistic, Malone and Veronica knew that there was little Challenger could do. Roxton was not likely going to make it. 


	3. The Cure

Chapter 3  
  
"Challenger! Hurry! Something's happened to Roxton!" Marguerite shouted through the tree house. Challenger came running up to the main level from his lab. Malone and Veronica had brought Roxton in on the stretcher. He was tied down and convulsing.  
  
"Oh dear. Come on, get him onto his bed. We are going to need a DNA sample and blood. If he has taken in an outside substance, I will need to see a disfiguration in his genetics. Veronica, I will need you in the lab with me for a few moments."  
  
Veronica left with Challenger and as soon as they were in the lab he spoke to her in a low voice.  
  
"I don't think there is anything that I can do. If he keeps convulsing he may kill himself from the shock. I'm worried that it may be a poison from our world." He said.  
  
Veronica sighed. "I have the container it was in. Maybe I should take it to the Zanga village and talk to Assai, she might know something."  
  
"That's a good idea. Spend a few hours there and find out everything you can. I'm going to see if we can do anything to slow down the decaying process."  
  
Veronica went to the main level to get Malone to go with her, but instead she saw Marguerite huddled over Roxton's motionless body. She hated seeing the heiress so defenseless. She called to Malone, took the poison and left.  
  
They reached the Zanga village in a matter of hours. Malone went off with Jarl, Assai's husband and Veronica went off with Assai. The women sat down in a shaman's hut and spoke with him. Assai spoke to him in their tongue, and although Veronica knew the language fairly well, she didn't know what was being said. As the two Zangas finished, Veronica turned to her friend worriedly.  
  
"Assai, what did he say? Can we help Roxton?" She asked.  
  
Assai took a deep breath. "The poison is actually an ancient Vantu curse. It is called the Black Death and will kill the person slowly and painfully. If he survives, he shall become permanently immune. Only one cure is known, and it is not likely possible to do, and it doesn't always work."  
  
"Well, what is it? We have to do everything we can!" Veronica cried.  
  
"His soul mate. He must drink her blood. She must also be immune to the poison. We do not know if Marguerite is immune, or even his soul mate. Even then it still might not work. The poison is only a myth to the Zanga and the cure is not always the right way to help those who are infected,"  
  
Veronica was somewhat shocked at Assai's statement. The Zanga girl didn't know Marguerite and Roxton horribly well, but she knew of the romance between them. Still, it would break the young jungle girl's heart if they weren't soul mates. Veronica stood, hugged Assai, and left the hut. She grabbed Malone and told him the story.  
  
"That's great! We can tell the others and Roxton will be alright!" Malone exclaimed. He didn't like Marguerite very much, but he never wanted to see her like this.  
  
"Malone, Assai said it might not work, plus we don't know if they are soul mates. We might just be giving Marguerite false hope."  
  
Malone sighed and suggested they head back to the tree house. They trekked through the jungle and when they finally made their way home, didn't want to go inside.  
  
"Malone, do you think we should tell them? I've heard Marguerite and Roxton talking before. She seems to think that they won't be together and that they will both be hurt. What if she tries the cure and it fails? How do you think that would make her feel?" Veronica asked nervously.  
  
Malone turned to her and took her hands in his. "We have to try, for Roxton's sake. We have to do everything in our power to help him. You know very well that he would do the same for any one of us."  
  
Veronica nodded and the two of them got in the elevator and ascended to the main level. The sight was heart wrenching. Marguerite was still huddled over her lover and crying. The younger residents of the tree house looked at each other grimly.  
  
"Marguerite?" Veronica asked gently. "Has he changed at all?"  
  
Marguerite turned and shook her head. He keeps shaking violently. Challenger says that he's in pain because of it. He says that if he doesn't stop soon, we have to...h-have to...He said that we might have to kill him." She said weakly.  
  
Veronica went down to her room. She couldn't even imagine what Marguerite was going through. Losing the man she loves is too much for Veronica to observe.  
  
Malone felt as if his heart was being torn in two. Silently, he moved downstairs to Challenger's lab. He saw the scientist looking over dozens of phials, each with a different substance. Off to the side was the container Branston made Marguerite drink from. He took it and went back upstairs. 'Why didn't I see it before?'  
  
"Marguerite, did you drink any of this?" Malone asked frantically.  
  
"Branston made me. He literally shoved it down my throat and made me swallow. I didn't think anything of it at the time. Why?" She replied.  
  
Malone brushed a hand through his hair. "I saw this when I left to find myself. There was a tribe that was close to the Vantu. They believed that magic could be contained in any substance. I saw this my firs few days there." He grabbed on of his journals and opened it. He showed Marguerite a picture of the liquid she was forced to drink. "It is known as an Amnesia Serum. After a certain amount of time, the person who took it would lose all their memory, and I don't know of a cure."  
  
Marguerite pulled away from the unconscious Roxton and looked up at Malone. "Why hasn't it worked yet?"  
  
"I think how much you take and your natural immunities to certain illnesses matters. It is very lethal, too. When I was in the village, I saw a man who had taken it. He had taken the serum about a year before. He died within a week, painfully. There is no cure that I know of."  
  
Veronica heard their conversation and came up to the main level with Challenger. Challenger was troubled and it showed.  
  
"Marguerite, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Roxton is in a coma that he can wake from at any moment."  
  
Marguerite jumped up. "That's great!"  
  
Challenger hated what he was about to do next. "Yes, but the longer he remains unconscious, the less likely he will ever wake up." 


	4. Revealed

_I am ** SO **sorry about the update! My comp was screwed up and the file deleted! Okay, everything is cool now! On to the long awaited chapter 4! Please R&R!_

Marguerite slowly walked back to where Roxton was lying, Challenger's words ringing in her ears. 'The longer he is unconscious, the less likely he will ever wake up.'

"Damn you, Roxton. Damn you for making me love you so much. You can't die now, we need you. _I _need you, John. Oh please don't leave me." She once again buried her head in his shoulder and cried.

Veronica and Malone watched her from the kitchen. She turned to Ned and whispered her quilt.

"We need to tell her about the cure. It may be the only way to save Roxton and it could keep her from going insane. I can't see her like this." She said.

"Veronica, we can't until we know more. If we tell her it could give her false hope and what happens if Roxton dies. He means so much to Marguerite. I can't watch her face light up and her heart shatter at the same time."

She turned to Marguerite. She was moving the hair from John's face and whispering to him. Veronica faced the young journalist again.

"Ned, I just can't see her like this. She has always been so strong, so independent. Watching her hurts. I never told her this, but I admire how she didn't give in so easily to men. She was cold sometimes, but she has so much experience it shows. But now, it's like she's never been in love before and her life depends on his. I never thought I would see her like this. I can't take it. We have to tell her."

"Tell me what?" Marguerite had walked up to them without their knowing. "Tell me what?" she repeated impatiently.

Veronica sighed. "We know how to,"

"Nothing. Veronica just thought of a way to stop the bugs from eating her garden." Ned interrupted.

Veronica cast him an evil glare that made him jump. He would pay for that.

"Oh, okay. I just thought you knew how to help Roxton. By the way, did Assai know anything?" Marguerite asked.

Before answering her, Veronica turned to Ned. "Why don't you let me tell her. This is something a girl should handle anyway."

Malone reluctantly left the two women alone and went down to see Challenger.

Marguerite looked at the jungle girl with excitement. "So, do you know something?"

"Yes. Assai said that the poison was a Vantu curse. She said that it slowly kills the consumer. But there is a cure. If he drinks the blood of his soul mate he can wake up, but she must be immune. Marguerite, I don't know if it will work. Assai said it still might not work if we can get him to drink your blood."

Marguerite sighed. "No, Veronica. It might not work because I might not be his soul mate. But I don't know if I am immune to the poison. Even if we could find out, it might not be in time to save him. And if it did work, what if he got poisoned again?"

"Assai said that if he survives, he will be permanently immune." She replied.

Down in Challenger's lab, he and Malone were talking about the amnesia serum.

"Challenger, I'm worried about Marguerite. What if she loses her memory and forgets about Roxton? What then? I think I should go back to the Zanga village to see the shaman. Maybe he will know something. I'll take Veronica."

Challenger stared at him. "You should tell her about your worries. If you don't, she might never forgive you. That is if she loses and regains her memory. Maybe Marguerite should go with you."

"She won't leave Roxton's side. She's been sleeping next to him in a chair at night. She won't go with you. I will. I need to see the shaman about the poison anyway. I have some questions to ask him." Veronica interrupted their conversation.

"I'm still worried. If she loses her memory, it could take years to build it back." Ned stated to Challenger.

George sighed. "Whatever we do, we have to do it fast. If we don't, it might be too late for both of them."

_R&R please!_


	5. Reunited

Veronica and Malone have been at the Zanga village for nearly three days with no word. Marguerite and Challenger were still working out how to save Roxton, but it looked like it was only up to Marguerite.

'My blood. No, maybe not. Maybe we aren't meant to be together. I should still try. For John. Its our last hope of saving him without a doctor.' Those thoughts frequently ran through her mind while the younger inhabitants of the treehouse were away.

"Marguerite? Can you come into my lab for a moment?" she heard Challenger call

She walked down the stairs and stared at the scientist. He gulped. She hadn't been eating much over these last weeks, but he didn't know she lost so much weight. There were dark cicles under her eyes and he coulndn't tell if it was a bruise or not.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"I was thinking that maybe we should try what Assai said was the cure."

Marguerite looked down. "It might not work, George. We could even speed up the process."

Challenger sighed. He didn't want it to come to this. "Then we have no choice but to..."

"NO!" she screamed. "No! I won't let you... I won't let you kill him! You can't! You just can't!"

"There is nothing else we can do to ease his pain."

She was crying again, but this time out of anger and fear. "Wasn't he the one who is always saving YOUR neck?! He's always there for all of us. Why can't we be there for him? Think about what he's done for you...for me. Please, George. I can't let you."

Challenger lifted a hand to his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. "What else can we do. We don't have a doctor..."

"The cure. Roxton can drink my blood and we'll see if he wakes up in the morning." She said softly.

"Are you sure? It's up to you if you want to do this." Challenger reminded her.

"Just get what we need and bring it to where he is lying." With that, she turned away and went back to her unconscious lover.

"Well, that was useless." Veronica said as she and Malone headed home. "I didn't find out anything to help Roxton."

"Well, what did you ask?" Malone asked.

Veronica stopped walking and turned to the journalist. "first I asked if there was another cure and the shaman said no. Then if he could help find John's soulmate by a ritual or something. He said no again. He told me that it was up to fate and his strength. He said that Roxton's strong and if we do the cure, he will likely wake up. Then the shaman left."

Malone took a drink of water from his canteen and smiled at her. "Well, he said that he's strong. Maybe he will make it through."

"God I hope so. Not just for Roxton. But for Marguerite too." Veronica said as they started to walk back home again.

Marguerite had just finished administering her blood to Roxton, with Challenger's help of course. She turned away from the hunter, unable to bear the thought of him not waking the next morning. It was almost night and the elevator just came up.

"I'm sorry, Marguerite." Veronica whispered after walking towards her. "We didn't find out anything."

"It's all right. We just tried the cure. Challenger said that


End file.
